Now the fun really begins for the Baldwinsville girls lacrosse team.
A combination of tight scheduling and weather-enforced changes means that the Bees will play five times in eight days, encountering each of the major Section III Class A contenders along the way. It all kicked off Thursday afternoon at Ray Middle School, where B’ville traded blows with Liverpool in a clash of two teams ranked in the state top 10 – and the Bees, in the no. 10 spot, did enough to hold off the no. 5-ranked Warriors 11-10. The Bees were refreshed from not having played in a week, since a loss to McDonogh (Maryland), and offered a blazing response to Kristina Lombard’s opening-minute goal. In six straight possessions, B’ville scored six goals – two each by Claire Monnat and Sam Yaro, one each from Maggie Monnat and Erin Ward – as it took advantage of the absence of Liverpool defender Megan Sardella, who was ill. So it was 6-1, and the game wasn’t even six minutes old. After a Liverpool time-out, though, the Warriors started to make stops and launched its own 6-0 run to leap out in front, fueled by Nina Tassone, who had four assists. From there, the two sides traded goals, Maggie Monnat finding the net 35 seconds before the break to tie it again at 8-8. Everything was different in the second half, especially on the defensive side. B’ville’s back line, led by Alexis Czyz, Amanda Ingersoll and Taylor Pastore, forced turnovers and kept Liverpool off the board for more than 20 minutes. The Bees went through its own drought before goals by Ward and Yaro pushed the Bees ahead 10-8. A third yellow card left B’ville a player down (a new rule this year) for the last 4:07 of regulation. Mallorie O’Brien and Tassone scored, but in between Maggie Monnat ripped in what proved to be the game-winner with 2:28 left. After Tassone cut the margin to one with 1:12 to play, Meghan Cuddy won the ensuing draw, and the Bees ran out the clock. This, of course, only started the gauntlet. On Saturday, B’ville met Fayetteville-Manlius, and while it proved just as tight, the Bees’ early margin would hold up and it beat the Hornets 15-12. The first half closely mirrored the Liverpool game in terms of pace. But the difference was that B’ville would get out in front, 9-6, by the break, and then match everything F-M would produce in the second half to keep its lead. Both of the Monnat sisters had three-goal hat tricks, as did Katie Sullivan. Maggie Monnat added two assists as Erika Wilcox got two goals. Cuddy, Yaro, Ward and Ashley Gentile also scored as Andrea Moore and Laura Passamonte combined for nine saves. Molie Caputo (five goals) and Alex Murphy (four goals) led F-M’s effort. To continue this, B’ville makes up the rained-out April 23 game with Cicero-North Syracuse Monday, plays Henninger/Nottingham Tuesday – and finishes it by hosting West Genesee on Thursday. And the Wildcats just returned to the top spot in the state Class A rankings.